It was a case that created headlines and ripped into the fabric of American society.

The Philadelphia Theatre Company has chosen a production of “The Scottsboro Boys” as its midwinter fare.

The musical is based on the infamous case in which a group of African-American teenagers was falsely accused of a terrible crime. The 1930s incident is believed to have given root to the American civil rights movement.

With music and lyrics by the legendary John Kander and Fred Ebb, the production won multiple nominations for the Tony and Drama Desk awards in 2010.

The work runs from Jan. 20 through Feb. 19 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre at 480 S. Broad St. in Philadelphia, with several special events scheduled during the run to highlight the play’s issues.

Upstairs at the Walnut, in its Independence Studio on 3, “Proof,” by award-winning playwright David Auburn, explores the deep genetic connection between fathers and daughters, touching on elements of genius and insanity, legacy and truth.

Originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club in 2000, “Proof” went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play in 2001.

The production, which runs from Jan. 19 through Feb. 5, will then launch into a national tour.

Tickets: $30. Information: 215-574-3550; www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org.

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The Wilma Theater brings the off-Broadway comedy “Body Awareness” by award-winning playwright and teacher Annie Baker to its stage at 265 S. Broad St. in Philadelphia beginning Wednesday and running through Feb. 5.

The laser-sharp focus is on a quirky and unpredictable family during one transformative week in their lives. Sexuality and identity are comedically thrown into the mix.

Anne Kauffman will be directing the work, returning to the Wilma after her critically acclaimed production of “Becky Shaw” at the Wilma in 2010.

Tickets: $39 to $66. Information: 215-893-9456; www.wilmatheater.org.

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The musical comedy “Ludwig Live,” a romp through music and laughter, opens Jan. 12 and runs through Jan. 29 at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts’ Innovation Studio at 300 S. Broad St. in Philadelphia.

The two-person show features New York pianist Charles Lindberg as “Ludwig” and Katherine Pecevich as the stage manager, playing two dozen zany characters.

“Clybourne Park,” which runs from Jan. 26 through March 18 at the Arden Theatre Company at 40 N. Second St. in Philadelphia, is in some ways the continuation of the stirring 1959 classic “A Raisin in the Sun.”

Its focus is on a house and neighborhood and the people who have come and gone over five decades.

The device is used to create a parallel story to that of the Younger family of “Raisin” and to imagine them in the new home into which they move.

It’s an ambitious work by Bruce Norris that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2011.